Lewis Hamilton maintained Mercedes’ record winning start to a season on Sunday when he was handed a controversial victory, courtesy of a disputed stewards’ decision to penalise Sebastian Vettel, at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Mercedes may feel a sense of deja vu with Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton locked in an increasingly exclusive battle for the Formula One title but team boss Toto Wolff says it is different to what went before.

Valtteri Bottas savoured the “greatest” race of his career yesterday as he claimed a dominant win for Mercedes in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and left a doubt-stricken 2018 firmly in his rear-view mirror.